Something Unexpected
by Noventia
Summary: Hermione discovers something about her heritage that shocks everyone. Now follow her on her journey to accept herself and her new powers and what they mean for the people closest to her. [H/Hr] [Creature!Fic]
1. Chapter 1

Welcome to my new fic! I hope you like it, and please review and tell me what you think! I accept critique and will try and improve my writing based on it, but I will not accept flames. If you don't have anything nice or helpful to say, I would rather you didn't say anything.

I apologise for the...feminine aspect of this chapter, but it IS important to the plot, so bear with me. Anyway ENJOY!

\- I have corrected a plot issue with this chapter :) So it's all good now!

Hermione sat up carefully in her bed, being very mindful of the pains shooting through her abdomen and down into her legs. Though she knew Lavender and Parvati would not be angry at her if she woke them, not for this anyway, she did not want them to wake; it had been a point of discussion between the two of when Hermione would get her period, and she really didn't want to wake them up and hear the excited squeals that would surely accompany the knowledge that she had finally gotten it. So she tiptoed around her bed in the moonlight from the window, and exited the room quietly; on her way to the bathroom, she listened to see if the First Year girls were in bed yet or not. The silence at their door told her to keep moving.

Feeling slightly disappointed that she didn't have a reason to scold them, she moved silently into one of the bathroom stalls to quickly deal with her oncoming period. Instead of going straight back to her bed like she would normally do after waking for any reason, she found herself drifting aimlessly down to the common room. There were no couples passionately snogging on the sofa, for which she was very glad, so she sunk down into the plush cushions and got comfortable.

From the stillness around her and the rather oppressing darkness outside Hermione figured it must have been around one o'clock in the morning. No wonder there were no couples to be found. With a start, she realised that it was technically her birthday now, even though it would still be several hours before anyone was awake enough to acknowledge it. She was born at twelve minutes past two, she knew because her parents had filmed her birth and there was a time stamp, so she watched the clock on the wall and counted down in her mind until the moment she would be exactly fifteen years old.

With merely a moment to spare, Hermione fell asleep. The clock hand moved into position just as her head hit the couch, and the momentary white glow that surrounded her, well, no one was around to see it.

Harry often had trouble sleeping; really it was no surprise considering what he had been through in his short life. Hermione had said once when he had brought it up, that she would be worried if he didn't have nightmares, because that would be when the horrible things he had seen no longer bothered him. Shuddering, Harry hoped that he would be having nightmares for the rest of his life; not that he enjoyed them, he just didn't want to become the sort of person who wasn't fazed by things like murder, dark lords and being killed.

On this particular night Harry had in fact gotten several hours of uninterrupted sleep, for which he was very grateful, but it did not last. Just after midnight his rather pleasant dream of passing all of his O.W.L.S between something dark and twisted, that he wished he didn't remember but of course he did. An hour he had lain in bed, twisting and turning in silent agony as he was forced to watch all those he held dear to him be killed before him. He had woken up covered in a cold sweat and sticking to his blankets. After spending Merlin knows how long trying to untwist the sheets from around his legs, he had scrambled out of the bed and rushed to the bathroom. There he indulged himself in a few seconds under the cold spray of water before jumping back out and dressing again.

Lying in bed again, he just couldn't get back to sleep. Finally, after nearly half an hour staring up at his ceiling he gave up on sleep and tip toed down the stairs to the common room. Walking over to the sofa that he preferred, he noticed someone lying on it. He paused, though the person wasn't moving so he figured they were asleep. He had better wake them up. When he moved closer though, he recognised the hair; it was Hermione. He covered a grin with his hand, as even asleep he doubted she would appreciate being the object of his amusement; especially when the source of amusement was her hair.

He sank into the armchair across from the sofa and noticed instantly that the way she was laying was odd. He had seen Hermione lay down on the sofa before; she would cradle her head in one of her arms and curl into herself in an effort to not take up all the room. This time though, she had her legs still hanging over the edge as though she had been sitting up and simply fallen to the side; her arms were haphazardly thrown about, one of them across her chest and the other hanging off the sofa. It was very clear to Harry that she hadn't meant to fall asleep, so he leant over to her and gently shook her awake.

"Hermione…Mione wake up." He kept his voice soft, even though he was trying to wake her. He didn't want to wake anyone else at the same time after all.

She moved her head slightly.

"..arry?" He laughed quietly at the soft, almost whining tone to her voice. She was clearly tired.

"Yeah Mione, it's me. Why are you asleep in the common room?" Harry pulled his head back just in time to not be hit in the forehead by Hermione as she shot up off the sofa. As she looked around Harry manoeuvred around until he was sitting next to her of the sofa.

"You alright Hermione?"

"Yeah…I just don't remember falling asleep."

"Well, most people don't you know." Harry tried to keep his amusement out of his voice, he really did, but she had always been able to tell with him. Her eyes narrowed at him.

"Yeah well, I do." Harry put his hands up in mock surrender, allowing her to win the small disagreement; even though Hermione was rarely angry, it was always easier for her to get riled up when tired.

"You better get up to your dorm Mione, I only came down here cause I couldn't sleep, but I think I'll be able to now. It is seriously late and we have classes in the morning." Hermione smirked at him.

"What class do you have Harry?" Harry groaned.

"I honestly have no idea. I just know we have classes." With a laugh, though a quiet one, she stood up. Holding a hand out to him, he took it and she pulled him up.

"You have Transfiguration Harry." She laughed at his wide eyed expression. "I hope you finished you're essay." Harry felt a small flare of panic before realising that he had finished it, last night in fact.

"I did. Just forgot it was due today is all." Laughing at him again Hermione nodded, rather condescendingly in Harry's opinion, and moved towards the stairs to her dorm.

"Goodnight Harry thanks for waking me up."

"No problem Mione, what are friends for? Night." Harry stood by the fire for a few moments after she had disappeared. Wondering why she had been down here in the first place. Hermione didn't usually come back down to the common room; especially in the middle of the night. Figuring he would ask her later, he turned around and trudged back to bed.

It was only when he was staring at his ceiling again when he finally realised what Hermione had been wearing the whole time; a nighty. Bloody hell.

The next day Hermione felt…off. Her mouth hurt, the feeling reminded her of when she was younger and she had teeth growing in to replace her old ones, but as no new teeth were growing it didn't make any sense. Her abdomen was hurting, though she had chalked that up to her having her period, and her head was pounding awfully. At breakfast she sat next to Harry instead of opposite him, and leant on his shoulder as she ate her breakfast.

"Mione? You okay?"

Hermione was barely able to lift her head, so merely nodded into his shoulder. Of course Harry just snorted at her.

"No you aren't, tell me what's wrong."

Hermione debated telling him. She had decided that it was just her period being particularly bothersome, and she wasn't sure if Harry could handle the 'girl' problem she was having. She decided to try it out though.

"Just…girl issues Harry…" Oh how she hoped that would be enough for him to understand.

Harry's eyes widened in understanding though Ron, who was sitting across from them and had heard the conversation, didn't catch on quite as quickly.

"What you mean? Girl issues? Being a girl ain't that hard Mione." He then continued stuffing his face with bacon, sausages and eggs. Hermione scowled.

"Yes Ronald, girl issues, as in I am bleeding from a certain place!"

Ron went bright red, and actually dropped the piece of sausage he had been about to eat. Harry covered his mouth with his hand to stifle the laugh that was bubbling up at his best mate's expense, and Hermione just glared. Swallowing his laugh, Harry stood up.

"Come on Hermione, I'll help you to the Hospital Wing; Madame Pompfrey should have something to help you yeah?"

Hermione just nodded, rather speechless as he helped her stand up and then allowed her to use him as a support as he led her out of the Great Hall. Of course she should have known that Harry wouldn't be fazed by this; he had never backed down from helping her before, he wasn't Ron after all.

They got several 'looks' on the way to the Hospital Wing; after all it was usually Harry that needed help through the halls, not Hermione.

Harry had kept his arm secured around Hermione's waist, allowing her to rest most of her weight on him; she was very thankful for this as her legs had turned into jelly since they had left the Hall. The infirmary came into view faster than Hermione had expected, clearly she hadn't been paying attention to where she was going, and Harry guided her onto one of the beds and then went to find Madame Pompfrey.

Madame Pompfrey came bustling into view, a potion already in her hands. Hermione blushed when she realised that Harry must have told her what was wrong with her.

"Cramps dear?" Hermione nodded shyly, her eyes still darting to Harry every few seconds. The nurse smiled.

"You have a very loyal friend here Miss Granger; didn't even blush when he told me why you were here. And helped you from the Great Hall" She gave Harry an approving look, "Most boys don't want to be anywhere near this process."

Harry shrugged.

"She's my best friend; I wasn't going to let her come alone when she felt so bad." He looked sheepish, but the approving look of Madame Pompfrey and the grateful one he was getting from Hermione had him smiling.

"Uh...Madame Pompfrey, I was wondering if you could check me over?" Hermione hesitated, once again looking at Harry before shaking herself and continuing, "This is uh, my first period and I was wondering if it's supposed to hurt this much?"

The woman gave her a confused look.

"How old are you? 14?"

"15 Madame." The woman nodded, looking at her contemplatively.

"Most witches get their first period during their 13th year, not all of them need potions as some are easier than others. What are you symptoms dear? How much does it hurt? Where does it hurt?" She picked up her wand and waited for Hermione's reply.

"My head is throbbing, I don't think I have ever had such a terrible headache before in my life, and my mouth feels really sensitive. My abdomen feels like I am being stabbed repeatedly and the pain is spreading down my legs and up into my back." Pompfrey nodded, but Harry looked absolutely horrified.

He carefully sat on the bed next to Hermione, looking at her as though she was glass.

"Honestly Harry, I am not going to break on you!"

With that, he bundled her into his arms, his larger frame practically swallowing her. She found that she really didn't mind, though she was surprised as he didn't usually initiate physical contact. The reason for that had anger simmering in her stomach.

She sunk gratefully into his warmth, the heat actually helping to ease the pain in her abdomen a little bit. Madame Pompfrey smiled and cleared her throat.

"Has anything strange happened in the last few hours Miss Granger?" Hermione shook her head.

"No, I don't believe so."

"Wait. She fell asleep in the common room this morning; really early. I found her a little while after 2, she was in a strange position and she didn't remember falling asleep." The nurse frowned and resumed waving her wand over Hermione.

Hermione scowled at Harry.

"Falling asleep isn't something strange Harry, especially at that hour." Harry looked at her, and the concern she saw in his eyes had her glare softening. She couldn't be mad at him when he was only trying to look out for her.

"Miss Granger." The interruption shook Hermione's attention from Harry, "I have found something…odd. It would appear as though you have come into some type of Inheritance in the last few hours; in fact it most likely occurred at around 2 o'clock this morning."

"Today is her birthday." Hermione jolted as she realised that it was in fact her birthday; she had been thinking about it last night, but it had slipped her mind when she had woken up feeling so terrible. Madame Pompfrey nodded.

"Most Inheritances take place on a birthday. Which birthday changes depending on the Inheritance, though the most common is 16; I don't know of any that take place on the 15th birthday." She stared at the wall for a moment before shaking herself. "I will bring this to the attention of the Headmaster, I'm sure he will know something."

The two teenagers nodded.

In the mean time Miss Granger, please take extra special notice of what is happening to your body. If anything strange begins to occur, whether physically, mentally or emotionally please come here immediately."

Hermione nodded.

"Of course Madame."

"I'll make sure she comes straight here Madame Pompfrey." Looking between them she nodded.

"Yes, I think you will Mr Potter."

As the two left the Hospital Wing, Madame Pompfrey watched them curiously. She really needed to talk to the Headmaster, if she was right things were about to get very interesting indeed.


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry for the wait, I had a few uni assignments that needed doing. Hope this chapter makes up for it! Let me know what you think in a review!

Enjoy!

"Albus!"

Said man looked up from his paper work in surprise.

"Yes Poppy?"

"Were you aware of Miss Granger? I should have been told, I could have been watching for complications!"

Surprised, Albus put aside his work.

"Miss Granger? I was not aware of anything that would have required your expertise Poppy." The surprise that filtered across the Nurses face at his admission was amusing. "After all, I am not all knowing, no matter what the students say." Poppy blushed.

"Yes, well." she took the seat across from his desk. "Miss Granger has just been to see me, and I have discovered through her scans that she has gone through an Inheritance of some type in the last few hours." Albus sat up further in his chair. "I believe that it took place at around two o'clock this morning, and as it is Miss Granger's birthday today…" Here Poppy trailed off, allowing the Headmaster time to think about the information he had just been given.

"Hmm, Miss Granger is 15 is she not?" Poppy nodded.

"Yes Headmaster; she also reported that she has experienced her first menstrual cycle today, as well as severe pain and aches."

"Hmm, very interesting indeed… there are not many inheritances that take place on the 15th birthday." Albus stood from his chair and walked to his bookshelf, glancing across the titles, "Ah!" He plucked a purple covered book from the middle of the top shelf. "This book has all the known inheritances that a Witch or Wizard is capable of inheriting. I say known since I am sure it is not an exhaustive list."

Sitting back at his desk, he reclined in his deceptively comfortable chair.

"Headmaster, the first menstrual cycle is what worries me most of all." Albus motioned for her to continue as he was flipping through the book. "It is unusual for a Witch to not have her first cycle during her 13th year of life; most Witches that do not, are either infertile, or have an inheritance that involves mating seasons." Poppy paused, waiting for Albus to understand what she had said; she knew the moment he had, for his head snapped up to look at her.

"Mating seasons?"

"Yes Albus, I am positive. I do not know much about Inheritances, or the different types, but as a Healer I have to know all about the body. Miss Granger is going to go through some sort of process in the next few weeks that will ensure she is ready for childbirth; what the process is will depend on the Inheritance." She paused again, knowing that she had given all the information she could that would help Albus figure out what exactly Miss Granger was.

Hesitantly, she decided to mention just one more thing.

"Albus…the only Inheritances that involve mating, are Creature ones…"

"Yes Poppy, they are indeed…" He stopped suddenly, his finger pointing to a specific spot on the page that Poppy couldn't see. "Poppy dear…" He indicated her to come to him, and he pointed back at the page. Her eyebrows went up to her hair line.

"Yes Albus that would make sense. I'll keep an eye out." With a nod, she moved out of his office and back to the Hospital Wing.

Sitting in his office, Albus Dumbledore stared at the words on the page and decided that yes, this would be an interesting year indeed.

**"Aspen; fiercely protective and loyal of their mates and offspring, highly dangerous being that is believed to come into their powers at the age of 15." **

Harry sat in the common room, staring across the room at Hermione. Since their visit to the Hospital Wing that morning he had been watching for anything strange. So far all he could see was that she was slightly more irritable, and he figured that was, well normal, considering her…condition at the moment. He winced, imagining what hex she would use if she ever found out he had thought that.

Hermione was currently sitting at one of the tables on the other side of the common room, attempting to help some of the younger years with their homework. Usually she had no issue with it, but at the moment she was red in the face, and looked to be breathing quite hard. Concerned, Harry stood up and made his way over.

"Hermione, you okay?" The girl startled when she heard him and tossed him a glare for scaring her. He smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck.

"I'm fine Harry. No need to hover like I am going to collapse any minute."

"Sorry Hermione, I'm just worried you know? You're my best friend in the entire world; I don't know what I'd do if something happened and I didn't notice in time to help you…" Hermione's glare softened. There was no way she could stay mad at him for that.

"It's all right Harry, just try not to hover so much okay? I'm not helpless and I can tell when I need help." Harry nodded.

"Yeah, I'll try Mione." The smile she levelled at him had him slightly out of breath. With another smile, he quickly retreated back to the other side of the room.

What in Merlins name had just happened? Harry looked around the common room, desperately hoping to see someone who he could ask about this. He spotted Ron over at the chess set, beating some poor third year, and figured it was good that he hadn't seen anything. Neville was walking down the stairs!

"Hey Nev!"

Surprisingly, his voice didn't come out as shaky and uncertain as he thought it would. There was a strange desperation to it though. Sighing, he motioned Neville over to the sofa.

"Hey Harry, you alright?"

Harry sank into the cushions and put his head in his hands.

"I have no idea Neville, absolutely no idea." Neville took one look at his friend, who he had looked up to since they had started school together, and sat down next to him.

"What's going on? Does this have anything to do with the trip to the Hospital Wing this morning? I saw you leading Hermione up there."

"Yeah, she uh, wasn't feeling too well. I've just been noticing things about her that I haven't before… I am watching more closely than usual, since Madame Pompfrey told me too, but I'm noticing things that have nothing to do with her health…" Neville grinned at him.

"You like her."

Harry's head snapped up so fast Neville was worried he'd have to take him to the Hospital Wing for whiplash or something.

"What?!"

"Well, what are you noticing about her?"

"Her smile…It just lights up the damn room." Neville waited for more, but it seemed that Harry was done.

"That's it?" He was surprised; he was expecting more observations on how Hermione had, well, _filled out._

"Yeah, why? What else am I suppose to notice?"

"Nothing Harry, her smile is a good thing to focus on." Neville really should have expected this from Harry; he wasn't the type to objectify anyone, especially Hermione. "But yeah, I think you like her."

"Oh man…" Harry's head was back in his hands, muttering about how Ron was going to kill him.

"What does Ron have to do with it?" Neville was very confused.

"He likes her!"

"Oh…well does she like him?" Honestly, Neville couldn't see Hermione with Ron…

"I don't know…but he's liked her for ages, I'd be a pretty crappy best friend if I tried to get with her when I know that my best friend already likes her."

Neville nodded slowly, he understood that.

"What if we could find out if she liked Ron?"

"What?"

"Well, what if we could figure out whether she liked Ron; if she does then you back off, if she doesn't…well then you can give it a go."

"But…"

"Harry, if she doesn't like him then there's no point making yourself miserable about being a bad friend"

Harry had a thoughtful look on his face, and Neville let him think through the idea on his own. Finally, he slowly nodded his head.

"Alright…but how do we find out if she likes Ron?"

"Well, as her friend, and Ron's, you could ask her. Or we could ask a girl to find out." The panicky look that crossed Harry's face told Neville that they would ask a girl to ask Hermione.

"Hey Ginny!" He called out to the red head. Said girl smiled and walked over.

"Hey Nev, Hey Harry!"

"Hey Gin." Harry was mumbling into his arms. Neville rolled his eyes.

"We need a favour; could you find out if Hermione likes Ron?" He smiled at her.

"Ron?" She sounded, and looked, confused. "Why on earth would she like Ron?"

"I don't know, but could you find out?"

"Yeah sure…Is he okay Nev?" Neville followed her concerned gaze to Harry; who was once again cradling his head and mumbling.

"I think he will be…he just needs to know whether Ron's feelings are returned."

"Ron likes Hermione!? Ew!"

Neville laughed as Ginny walked over to Hermione, her face still a mask of disgust. He watched as Ginny and Hermione started talking, smiling as he watched Hermione's face take on the disgusted look Ginny was wearing. He almost burst out laughing at the vigorous head shake Hermione did, as Ginny's face melted from disgust to relief.

A few minutes later, Ginny smiled and walked away with a wave. When Hermione turned back around, she walked back over to them.

"She was disgusted by the idea of her liking Ron as I was. She doesn't like him." With that, she smiled and walked off.

"Hear that Harry? She doesn't like Ron."

Instead of the happiness he was expecting, he got a long moan of depression.

"What? I thought you'd be happy." Confused didn't even begin to cover what Neville felt at that moment.

"Imagine what I'll have to deal with when Ron finds out!"

The entire common room looked over when Neville burst into loud laughter and fell off the sofa.

Hermione's week was getting weirder; while she understood that she was moodier because of her period, she was not expecting any other symptoms to arise. But she was still in pain. Madame Pompfrey's words floated around her brain. Hermione knew that the amount of pain she was in wasn't exactly normal, but she was sure it wasn't anything to worry about. Nothing was worrying her, except for her classes and getting her homework done on time.

That is, until Thursday morning. Hermione woke up at her usual time, and she was going about her usual routine when she noticed something… odd. The skin across her abdomen was, slimy? Hermione slid her hand across the skin, her hand coming away with a thin, clear substance on it. Terrified, she screamed into the hallway.

"Someone get Harry!"

Lavender and Parvati were sitting in their dorm when they heard the shout from the bathroom. They heard one of the other girls reply that boys weren't allowed in the girls dorms. The resounding shout had Lavender scrambling for the common room

"NOW!"

Lavender stood in the common room, looking for Harry. When she didn't see him, she ran across the room and up the stairs to the boy's dorms. She found Harry sitting on his bed.

"Harry" Hermione needs you!" She didn't wait any longer, just turned around and kept running. She could hear him running behind her. She smiled; she wished she had a boy who was this devoted to her. When they reached the girls stairs Harry stopped, but Lavender grabbed his hand and pulled him up; the slide activated just as they reached the top. Lavender ignored the screaming prefects and pushed Harry into the bathroom where Hermione was.

Breathing deeply, she glared at the prefect.

"Hermione wouldn't call for him if it wasn't serious." Flipping her hair, she stalked back into her dorm; Parvati following behind her.

Harry stood in the girl's bathroom breathing deeply; the scent was entirely different to the boy's bathroom. It was much more pleasant.

"Hermione?" He called.

"H-harry, I'm in here…" Her voice came from one of the shower stalls. Taking a steadying breath, Harry pushed the door open gently. She was clutching a towel to her chest, and it was very apparent that she wasn't wearing a shirt or bra underneath, and there were tear tracks on her cheeks. Immediately pushing everything else from his mind, he stepped forward and hugged her.

"What's wrong Hermione?"

"You'll think I'm a f-freak!" Hermione's voice broke and she started crying again.

"Hermione, I could never think you're a freak. Tell me what's wrong." The sincerity in his voice and in his eyes convinced Hermione to show him.

Stepping back from him, and the protective circle of his arms, she lifted the towel. Being careful to keep her breasts covered, she showed him her stomach.

"I noticed when I was getting ready for my shower…I'm slimy!" The tears had started again, and despite himself Harry couldn't help but notice that Hermione's eyes had hints of gold in them. Shaking himself, he directed his attention to her stomach. He reached a hand out, hesitating slightly he looked up at her for permission; at her nod he pressed hid fingers against her stomach. Surprise flitted across his face as his fingers _slid_ across her skin. She was right, she was, for lack of a better word; slimy.

"Hmm, that is strange…" Hermione didn't say anything; tears just kept dripping down her cheeks. "Hermione, while I do not think you are a freak, I do think this is something we should tell Madame Pompfrey." Hermione nodded. "Oh Mione." He crushed her to him, hugging her with all his strength.

"Thank you for trusting me. I was very surprised when Lavender burst into my room and said you needed me then ran out again; though not as surprised as when she pulled me up the stairs and pushed me into your bathroom I'll admit." Hermione smiled, a small giggle making its way out of her throat.

"Thanks Harry, I better get dresses." He nodded, quickly stepping out of the stall and shutting the door behind him. Hermione smiled, pressing the towel against her face to hide the new, red tinge on her cheeks that had nothing to do with her crying.

When he stepped out of the bathroom, Harry was confronted by the same prefect that had yelled at him before. Her hair was frizzy, though not nearly as bushy as Hermione's and her eyes were wide with anger.

"Just what do you think you are doing?! You are NOT allowed here!"

"Hermione needed me! If you think for one bloody second that a stupid school rule or enchanted stairs is going to stop me from being there for her when she needs me you are very bloody mistaken!" Harry glared at her, dared her to say anything else. The prefect huffed, spun on her heel and slammed the door to her dorm.

"Harry." The small voice nearly broke him; he hated hearing her so meek.

He spun around, grabbed her hand and slid down the slide that had still not reverted back to a staircase, when he was helping her up at the bottom he was not prepared for the explosion that was Ron Weasley.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?!" Harry looked up, saw the red faced Ron, and looked back down at Hermione.

"I'm helping Hermione." It was a statement, not an answer. Ron was gearing up for another shout. "Look Ron, Hermione needs help, and I don't have time to deal with you right now. See ya." Then he left with Hermione.

The common room exploded with noise as Ron Weasley had a fit.


	3. Chapter 3

Madame Pompfrey was hoping to have a good day. She wanted to have a day where she did not have to rush about trying to save a particularly bold Quidditch player from losing too much blood, or reversing some silly charm that a girl had fired at another in anger. Truly, those situations did crop up with alarming frequency.

It was of course, not to be.

When she saw the unruly mop of ebony hair that she associated with Harry Potter, the Nurse bit back a sigh of exasperation as she imagined all the horrible things that he could have gotten himself into; considering he was inside the school the amount of things she thought of was quite alarming.

"Madame Pompfrey." The call was hesitant, and when she looked over, she saw Harry with his arms seemingly wrapped around nothing.

"Yes Mr Potter?"

"Is there anyone else in here?" The question caught her off guard, as it was an odd thing to ask.

"No Mr Potter; no one has of yet managed to find their way into the Hospital." As it appeared that he wasn't injured, she sat down on one of the beds and gestured him over. "Well, what can I do for you?" Whatever she was expecting, it wasn't for Hermione Granger to suddenly appear in his arms.

"Good heavens! Miss Granger whatever is the matter?"

Hermione Granger sat huddled in Harry's arms, and whilst perhaps that wasn't the most unusual, the tears tracks on her cheeks, the brightness of her eyes and the trembling of her lip were indeed very troubling. Madame Pompfrey didn't miss the way the girl looked to Harry for reassurance before launching into her story.

"I-I woke up like usual, and I-I went to take a-a shower."Harry's arms tightened around her. "I felt fine, I mean I-I've been getting u-used to the pain I've been h-having, but once I w-was in t-the shower I n-noticed s-something." Something was definitely wrong, Madame Pompfrey had never seen the girl so out of sorts. "I-I, I can't!" The suddenness of Hermione's yell was dulled by the sudden flash of gold in her eyes, before she turned and buried her head in Harry's chest.

"Can I tell her Hermione?" Harry's voice was soft, and Madame Pompfrey gave him an approving look. Hermione's head moved slightly, and she must have given her permission as Harry opened his mouth to speak.

"Lavender came running into my dorm this morning, saying that Hermione needed me, so I went into the girls bathroom" Here he looked sheepish at the look he was given. "And saw her. She had locked herself in one of the stalls, she let me in and I saw her crying. I asked her what was wrong, and she showed me her stomach; it seems to be, well slimy, Madame."

Any reprimand she may have given him for entering the girl's dormitory faded when Hermione gave a loud sob at the word 'slimy'.

"Lay her down on the bed Harry, let's take a look."

Madame Pompfrey wasn't sure what she had expected, but when she pulled up the girl's shirt she was surprised to see that she had small, transparent scales lining her lower abdomen. The actual feeling of slime began just above the layer of scales.

Now, Madame Pompfrey had been a nurse for decades, but never before had she seen something like this.

"Hmm, this is odd Miss Granger." The sob that the girl let out told her that that was likely not the best thing she could have said. "Now now, there's no need for that dear. Whilst I admit that I have never seen this before, that doesn't mean that there is anything particularly wrong with you." She contemplated the idea of telling the girl her suspicions, another look into her watery eyes had her mind made up. "I've had my suspicions since you first came in a week ago Miss Granger, but I have yet to tell you as I was considering the options with the Headmaster. Are you alright to have a discussion dear?"

Hermione hiccupped, and nodded her head. She adjusted herself on the bed, so that she was sitting and leaning against Harry's side.

"O-of course Madame." She glanced at Harry. "Harry can stay right?" Madame Pompfrey could tell by the tightening of Harry's arm around her shoulders that he wouldn't leave even if Voldemort started dancing the Cha Cha naked in the corridor.

"Of course he can dear."

The relieved nod and deep breath was a good sign that the girl was calming down on her own and wouldn't need a potion, not just yet anyway.

"Well then, let's start at the beginning." She took a deep breath. "When a witch enters her thirteenth year Miss Granger, she gets her period. It is very rare for a witch to not have her first cycle during that year; witches who do not are often infertile."Noticing the flare of panic in the girl's eyes she rushed to reassure her. "Calm down dear, you are not infertile! You are currently on your period, and I ran a diagnostic the first time you came in, and it confirmed that you are fertile as a young witch should be, so never you fear about that."

Standing from her position on the bed, she hurried to her office and grabbed the book about inheritances.

"The reason for your late period is that your body needed to wait for your inheritance to start before it was safe for you to have it. If you were to have your period before your inheritance was gifted to you, then you ran the risk of being infertile that is why it was late." She paused to allow for any questions either had.

"So…I have an inheritance?"

"Yes Miss Granger and we believe it to be this one." She opened the book to the page she had marked and handed it to the girl. Hermione shifted the book in her arms so that Harry could easily read it.

"Hang on, Mating Season?" Harry's voice was concerned, and Madame Pompfrey didn't blame him, she had been concerned as well the first time she had come across a student with a Mating Season.

"Yes Mr Potter, Miss Granger's body is preparing itself for pregnancy. That is what I believe this slime on your stomach is Miss Granger, there are also small scales covering your abdomen; was there any severe pain overnight? Or perhaps yesterday?"

"Nothing severe, I did have several cramps overnight, but Lavender and Parvati were very helpful and gave me a few tips on how to keep the pain down."

"Hmm, well that would explain why your period has been so painful dear, your body is changing rapidly for a pregnancy. Most Mating seasons end with intercourse with the chosen partner, and more often than not pregnancy is the result; purely because the witch's body is fully receptive to reproduction." Madame Pompfrey had to hold back a very unprofessional laugh at the blushing red faces of the teens before her.

"Chosen partner?" Harry seemed to be having issues with that particular concept. "Is there a specific person that will be chosen?"

"No Mr Potter, not in most cases. For inheritances such as Veela there are destined mates, however Miss Granger is, we believe, an Aspen."

"Aspen? I've never heard of them." The incredulous tone of her voice was infinitely amusing.

"Indeed Miss Granger, neither had I until the Headmaster showed me the book they are mentioned in. There is not much known about the species, except that they are predominantly male and fiercely protective of their mates and offspring."

"Hermione's not male though!"

"No, Mr Potter she is not, but you'll notice that I said Predominately, which means mostly, not always. Hermione is a female Aspen, and as such is very rare." She smiled at the sheepish look on Harry's face. "Not much is known about female Aspens, but it is rumoured that the finger nails elongate and secrete a lethal poison when they are angered, this is also done by the canine teeth, have you experienced any pain in your mouth Miss Granger?"

"The first night my teeth were hurting, and my mouth has been hurting on and off since my period started."

"Well, that signifies the growth of your poison sacks in your mouth." The horrified look on the girls face caused her amusement that would be unprofessional to show. "I wish I had more information for you Miss Granger, but I'm afraid that is all we know about Aspens."

"T-that's alright Madame…I'll just have a look in the library, or owl order Flourish and Blotts…" Harry smiled gently at her, his arm tightening its grip around her shoulders.

"Well, I don't believe the slime on your stomach is anything to worry about Miss Granger, though if it becomes painful, please come and see me."

"Of course Madame." She smiled gratefully at her as Harry helped her stand up.

"Thanks Madame Pompfrey."

"Not a problem Mr Potter, have a good day you two."

Madame Pompfrey signed, there went her peaceful day.


	4. Chapter 4

**_Hi guys! I'm so sorry that this chapter took me so long! The Writers Block really got me on this one :/ If anyone has any ideas or suggestions or theories about this story please send them to me in a review, or a PM, because they will help me with the next chapter (which I am also struggling with). _****_I WILL NOT ABANDON THIS STORY._****_ I promise. I hope you enjoy this chapter! :) Love you all!_**

Hermione shifted in her seat, her shirt was _sticking_ to her and it was making it incredibly hard to concentrate. Sighing for what felt like the millionth time in the last hour Hermione gave up and turned her head towards to Harry. She barely had to look at him before he had turned to her, concern on his face.

"Are you alright Hermione?" His voice was low, almost inaudible.

"My shirt is sticking to me Harry; of course I'm not okay!" Hermione closed her eyes briefly. "Plus my head is killing me, my eyes hurt." Before she could say anything else Harry had his hand in the air. "Harry, what are you-"

"Yes Mr Potter?"

"Can I take Hermione to the Hospital Wing Professor? She isn't feeling well." Professor McGonagall turned to look at Hermione, her eyes roaming over the girl and taking in the paleness of her skin. She looked back at Harry.

"Yes Mr Potter, you may. Make sure you get the homework assignments from another student." Harry nodded at her, already out of his seat and packing Hermione's things back into her bag. So focused on this task he was, that he missed the small smile that McGonagall sent in his direction.

Harry managed to get Hermione out of the classroom within seconds, and once out of the room Hermione turned to him, gold glinting in her eyes.

"Harry! Why did you do that?" Harry was distracted by her eyes.

"Do what Hermione?" Had she always been this dazzling? How had he not noticed before?

"Take me out of class!" He gave her an odd look.

"You weren't feeling well, and it was kinda obvious that you couldn't concentrate Mione." He gave her a look. "You need to go to the Hospital Wing." Hermione rolled her eyes, but allowed him to take her arm and lead her in the right direction.

"I hope Madame Pompfrey isn't busy…" Hermione worried her lip with her teeth.

"Mione, even if she is, she told you to go to her if anything was wrong." He rubbed circles on the back of her hand hoping to calm her down.

"Yeah I guess so…I just haven't needed the Hospital much before, it kind of makes me uncomfortable." Harry laughed.

"Well, I have my own bed, so you can have that if it'd make you feel any better about it Mione. Pompfrey is great; she hasn't let me die yet!"

"Harry! Don't joke about that!" Seeing how distressed the idea made her, Harry instantly stopped laughing.

"Sorry Mione…"

"You aren't invincible Harry, one day you might not…" She took a deep breath, closing her eyes. "You might not always be so lucky." When she opened her eyes, Harry noticed that faint lines of gold were more pronounced now.

"I know. I'll try to be careful." He knew if he promised that he'd be fine, he would be lying, so he didn't bother. "Hey Hermione, did you know your eyes are kinda turning gold?"

"What?!" Her hands flew up to her face, the pads of her fingers feeling along her eyelids as though she could feel the colour of her eyes.

"Don't freak, we'll just mention it to Pompfrey…besides, it uh, looks good." Harry flushed red before the words were fully out of his mouth; he was comforted by the fact that Hermione flushed as well.

"Thanks Harry." He smiled at her.

They entered the Hospital Wing in silence, as was becoming habit, and Harry directed Hermione to sit on one of the beds further down the ward. When she glanced at him in confusion, he just grinned and indicated a small plaque on the frame;

'Harry Potter – Trouble Magnet'

"I told you I had a bed." With a wink, he was gone, disappearing into Madame Pompfrey's office. Hermione stared at the plaque for a moment, before laughter bubbled up and practically exploded from her mouth with a loud, and unladylike, snort. Clapping a hand over her mouth, but still laughing, she lay down on the bed.

Madame Pompfrey came bustling over just a minute or so later, her wand already clutched tightly in her hand. Harry walked beside her, surprisingly managing to keep up with the rather fast elderly witch.

"I see you have found Mr Potter's bed Miss Granger, he's spent nearly as much time in that than in the one in his dorm I'd wager!" The witch was smiling warmly at him, and Hermione realised that the relationship between the Matron and Harry was probably akin to something between a nephew and aunt. The way it is _supposed_ to be.

Hermione felt anger bubbling in her stomach, thinking about Harry being forced to spend any time with his so called family made her blood boil.

"So, what is the problem Miss Granger?" Hermione snapped her attention back to the Matron.

"Uh, well my shirt is sticking to me, and it feels incredibly uncomfortable. My head is hurting as well, right behind me eyes; I'm finding it nearly impossible to concentrate for long periods of time."

"Hmm." Pompfrey began waving her wand, Hermione felt a warm tingling start in her toes and spread up to her head. "Well, I'd say the headache is coming from your eyes changing; though I don't know how they will change. Your shirt is sticking to you because of the…slimy nature of your scales dear. It's nothing to worry about though I can see how it would make classes difficult." She smiled when not only Hermione relaxed, but Harry did too. "She'll be fine Mr Potter, don't worry yourself."

"Yes Ma'am!" He grinned at her cheekily. With an affectionate smile, she turned back to Hermione.

"I would suggest a nice cold bath might be beneficial dear, Harry can head back to class and get notes for you if you wish." Harry nodded and was about to gather his things.

"No!" The outburst was unexpected, even Hermione looked surprised. Her hand pressed against her mouth. "I mean, I don't think- I want… I want Harry to stay with me." The nurse looked at her for a long moment, before nodding her head.

"Very well, I will notify your teachers that you will not be attending classes for the rest of the day. I suggest you head over to the Prefects bathroom dears." With a final nod of her head, she turned and walked back into her office, no doubt to wait for the next student to come rushing in in a panic.

Harry looked at Hermione, noting the lines of her forehead that told him she was tired and reaching the end of her rope.

"C'mon Mione, let's get you cleaned up." He ignored the pink hue that was flooding her cheeks as she thought over the last few minutes.

"Yeah…okay Harry." She stepped off the bed, picking up her bag and heading for the door. "I don't want to be too long; we've got to start that essay tonight." With a roll out of his eyes Harry followed.

OoOoOoOoO

The walk to the bathroom was silent, the halls were deserted and Hermione remained a step ahead of Harry the entire time instead of walking beside him as she normally would. By the time they reached the door Harry was worried.

"Plush." Honestly these passwords were ridiculous.

By the time he had stepped through the door Hermione had already started the water, which filled the huge bathtub tremendously quickly. Harry swiftly removed his shirt, and bent to remove his shoes.

A soft squeak made him look up.

Hermione was staring determinedly at the wall, her face bright red. "Mione? You okay?" she nodded her head shakily.

"Fine Harry…just, um-"She took a deep breath. "I don't know if I'm comfortable…" she trailed off, but Harry already knew what was bothering her.

"Hermione, you're my best friend, absolutely nothing is gonna change that." He watched her carefully, abandoning his idea of undressing.

"I know that! I really do!" She spun to face him, her eyes staring resolutely at his face. _Why was she…?_ A mischievous grin grew on his face.

"Hermione…look at me." Her eyes widened.

"I-I am looking at you." He grinned at her.

"I mean look at the rest of me; you've walked in on me changing several times, so why can't you look at me now?"He was genuinely curious.

"It's different when it's on purpose Harry!"

"I've seen you in the shower, just a few days ago; that was on purpose but I don't have any issues with it." She huffed.

"That was an emergency! I wasn't thinking about modesty!" Harry shrugged.

"Then don't think about it now." He started taking his trousers off. Another squeak came from Hermione; he stopped with his trousers around his thighs.

"Really Hermione? You've seen me in less!" Her eyes stayed on the wall. "It's not like I'm going to take my briefs off."

She went Scarlet.

"Unless of course, you want me to?"

"H-harry!" She faced him, mortified. He shrugged at her again.

"Well with the way you're acting it's the only thing I can think of. Tell me what's bothering you Mione, and I can fix it."

"I-it's just…I didn't want you to leave. It's why I shouted…in the Infirmary I mean." Harry nodded. "It was…weird. I wanted you to stay with me, I wanted…" She trailed off, her face turning an odd mix of red and pale.

"What did you want Mione?" She shook her head at him.

"I don't know…"

"Okay, let's just get you cleaned up then okay? I don't even have to get in if you don't want me to."

"No its okay, just turn around for a minute." He smiled at her.

"Course Mione!" He spun around and stared at the wall. There was a brief rustling noise as she got undressed and then a splash. He didn't turn around.

"Okay Harry." He turned, dropping his trousers to the floor at the same time and jumped into the water without warning.

Hermione shrieked with laughter as he landed next to her, immediately splashing him back.

**_I hope you liked it! Once again I'm sorry it took so long! Please review and let me know what you think! Ideas and suggestions for the story are welcome and encouraged! :)_**


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